


in your arms.

by hhoneymin



Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Alternate Universe - Small Town, Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Cuddling & Snuggling, Extremely Pure, Falling In Love, Fluff, Friendship, Light Angst, M/M, Mutual Pining, jeno and jaemin would trade the stars for each other
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-08
Updated: 2021-02-23
Packaged: 2021-03-09 23:01:41
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 10
Words: 6,757
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27954305
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hhoneymin/pseuds/hhoneymin
Summary: Leaving the boring hometown Jaemin grew up in was always his life’s goal. Until he meets Jeno, of course.
Relationships: Lee Jeno/Na Jaemin
Kudos: 21





	1. forced sunshine and hellish mornings.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this fic is purely made for my own indulgence and I don't expect anything of it, but I wanted to put this out there for the people who feel like running away and for those who feel like nothing is enough to make them stay.

It’s not that the teenager hates his friends or his family or anything, the world just felt so… small. As a little boy, he’d always seen the fascinating sparkle that came with exploring the unknown, seeing everything the world had to offer. The only sparkle his hometown had was the diner down the street from his high school, the small library near his house and his own home. He knew he could see so much more, and yet something was holding him back, but he didn’t know exactly what it was.

The boy wakes up to his best friend and daily nuisance, Renjun, screaming at him to come to see the new record he broke in Mario Kart. Like every other day. Jaemin trudges down the stairs and flops onto the couch next to Renjun.

His soulless eyes meet Renjun’s as he contemplates the very meaning of his existence right there and then, while the constant banging on the door only adds to the fact that he wants to pass away in the quickest way possible. “Injunnie can you please go get it, I feel like death today,” he asks in the most polite way he can muster at 8 am in the morning. Renjun groans in defeat and jumps off the couch to go answer the door. 

Now Jaemin wouldn’t consider himself popular in any way, but he sure did have an extremely friendly personality and sometimes he internally cursed himself for being the extrovert that he was. This was one of those moments. Met with the dolphin screams of Chenle and the self-proclaimed sunshine, Donghyuck, Jaemin really thought he was going to pass out from the overwhelming energy that forced its way into his house this morning.

“Jaemin~~~ Why are you so moody today,” Donghyuck whines into Jaemin’s ear at a deafeningly loud volume and Jaemin responds with a groan. “Studying for exams has taken away approximately 30 years off my lifespan,” Jaemin replies, his voice weary. 

“It’s not like you even need to study, you’re THE Na Jaemin after all, always scoring the highest in literally everything,” Renjun says with a faint voice as he falls onto the couch dramatically, his hand falling over his head. “Oh to be Jaemin, pretty, smart and popular. Life must be so easy for you” 

Renjun is met with a pillow to his face.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this is really short but I promise it's going to get longer from here on out I swear


	2. blooming butterflies and ethereal beauty.

Jaemin puts a smile on and walks into his classroom. Maybe if he tricked himself into thinking that his day was going well, it actually would.

That was, of course, before he saw the new boy sitting at the front of the class. 

It’s not like he was special or anything, only the fact that he seemed like the beauty of a thousand suns combined, nothing more. 

The teenager was normally ready to talk to anyone, but just thinking about going to talk to this boy made his stomach flip. So he took an alternative route, by throwing a pen at Renjun to catch his attention. “What the hell asshole,” Renjun deadpanned, no expression on his face whatsoever. “Who’s that guy at the front?” Jaemin inquires, leaning forward with his chin in his hands. 

“Okay heart eyes, first of all, he’s way out of your league. Second of all, his name, according to Hyuck, is apparently ‘beautiful’, so I got nothin’ for you. Sorry,” Renjun replies. “Maybe you could stop being a wuss and go ask him for his name? Just a suggestion,” he says with sarcasm dripping from his voice.

Jaemin shoots him a disappointed pout and proceeds to inch towards the boy, his heart pounding slightly more than usual. He felt a little more confident. What could a pretty boy do to him? Nothing. Or so he thought. 

The moment he arrived at the table and saw the guy’s face, Jaemin feels like he got punched in the stomach. 

He was, for lack of a better word, ethereal. 

Jaemin was at a loss for words when met with the pure beauty that was in front of him. The boy had fine features, delicate but defined at the same time. His eyes formed into crescents when he turned around to look at Jaemin, his rosy pink lips parting as if to-

“Staring much?” the boy asks, snapping him awake from his trance. 

Jaemin’s cheeks flush bright pink as he tries to open his mouth to ask the boy for his name. “Before you ask, I’m Lee Jeno,” the boy says with a smile that makes Jaemin’s heartbeat a thousand times faster. 

“I’m Na Jaemin,” he replies with his best smile, the one that made everyone fall head over heels for him without him realising.   
__________________________________

“Renjun!!” Jaemin exclaims as he rushes over to their table at the cafeteria. Renjun looks at him dead in the eyes, “What,” he replies. “So his name’s Jeno,” Jaemin says, buzzing with excitement. 

“That’s all you got? Nothing else?” Renjun responds with disbelief. “Well, the bell rang before I could ask anything else,” Jaemin says with a disappointed pout. Renjun gives him a half-hearted pat on the back and goes back to fiddling with his pen instead of doing his work. 

Guess he had to wait for another day.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> well damn, I didn't expect people to actually read this. This chapter did not have much going on and I apologise for that, but there's more to come.


	3. impromptu naps and black coffee.

That day eventually turned into a week, and Jaemin nearly forgets about his encounter with Jeno, until exam week comes around.  
__________________________________

Jaemin decides to study at the library for the day since being in his home would be too distracting, but the moment he enters the library, he realises that everyone else must’ve thought the same. 

The library is filled with students that look like they’re on the brink of death, hunched over their books with insanity growing in their eyes. Jaemin knew he would be joining them soon, so he tries to find a seat. As his eyes scan the room full of exhausted students, they fall onto a particular student amongst the crowd.

Lee Jeno. 

Jaemin tries to avoid eye contact, as this was simply not the time to be marvelling over his beauty, but his plans fail as soon as Jeno almost immediately looks up and waves for him to come over.

“Jaemin, right?” Jeno looks up at him and asks.

He was wearing glasses and a white hoodie and yet he looked effortlessly beautiful. It made Jaemin jealous of how good he looked without even trying. It was just unfair. Nonetheless, Jaemin nods and takes a seat across Jeno, setting his things down.

“You’re studying for exams too?” Jaemin asks, embarrassed at how obvious the question is. “I could only wish that I was here to read a book,” Jeno smiles.

“Just a small question. Why?” he asks, hoping to not come off as rude. Jeno shoots him a confused look and Jaemin flushes red as he tries to clarify. 

“As in, why transfer schools midterm? Isn’t it overwhelming?” he asks with genuine curiosity and Jeno laughs. 

“Well, I guess I just felt like it? Everything was getting too boring back at my old school. I needed to change things up a little,” he responds. Jaemin looks at him in disbelief and shakes his head. This guy was insane. 

But at the same time, Jaemin could relate. He had always seen no future in this tiny town of his, nothing for him to explore anymore. He had always wanted to leave, yet something held him back and he oddly was not trying to do anything to fight it. It’s not that there was anything wrong with his town, it’s just that there was so much more to see, and ever since he was a child, Jaemin had hoped to see all of it. 

He gets snapped awake from his daydreaming by the sound of Jeno tapping his pen on the table, seeming to have taken note of Jaemin’s daydreaming and losing focus on the conversation, going back to studying. 

Jaemin does the same, and before he knows it, he wakes up to Jeno tapping on his shoulder. Jeno is already packed up for the day and was getting ready to leave, so it was even more awkward for Jaemin, who begins scrambling around and trying to get his shit together. 

Once Jaemin collects himself, Jeno looks at him with the one smile that gets Jaemin’s heart beating at an abnormal rate. The one where his eyes turn into crescents and it seems like he’s the only thing that’s lighting up the room. Blown away and still somewhat dishevelled, all Jaemin could do was wipe the drool off his mouth and hope that Jeno didn’t think that he was an absolute disgrace.

“You seem pretty tired there, wanna go grab some coffee? It’s not that late yet and I was planning on pulling an all-nighter, but it’s totally fine if you don’t feel like it,” Jeno asks him nervously, fiddling with the sleeves of his sweater.

“I would love to.”  
__________________________________

And so there they were, standing in line and pondering at the menu in the closest cafe they could find. 

“I think I’ll just have whatever you’re having, as long as there’s coffee,” Jeno says, met with a cunning look from Jaemin.

“Are you sure?” he asks, and Jeno nods. 

“Are you REALLY sure? You might regret it,” 

“What’s life without a little adventure, am I right?” Jeno replies.  
__________________________________

Jeno spits out the drink Jaemin orders in disgust. “How the hell are you drinking this? It tastes like jet fuel and death.” 

Jaemin smiles and takes another sip. “It’s an acquired taste.”

“At least now I know to never trust you with my order again.”

“Life is bitter, Jeno, you have to accept it.” 

Jeno scoffs at Jaemin.


	4. paper notes and curious questions.

The bell rings, signalling the dismissal of class for the day. Jaemin starts to tidy his things when he looks up to see Jeno looking at him, fiddling with the sleeves of his sweater, holding something between his hands. 

“What’s up?” Jaemin asks, amused at the way Jeno was looking at him, almost like a timid puppy. He really thought Jeno couldn’t get any cuter, but he should’ve known better than to think that because the teenager somehow always seemed more lovable every passing second. 

“You left your wallet at the cafe the other day, I just wanted to return it to you,” Jeno says, before turning to leave. Jaemin tugs at Jeno’s hand before he can get away.

“Thank you,” he responds as his hand lingers on Jeno’s sleeve before letting him go.

A piece of paper falls out of the wallet and Jaemin bends down to pick it up. The note read: “good luck on your exams!!” with a small doodle of a butterfly on a flower next to it. It didn’t surprise Jaemin how well Jeno drew, the boy was a treasure chest full of pleasant surprises.

Jaemin smiles at the paper and tucks it into his pocket as he gets up to try and catch Jeno before he leaves. Fortunately he makes it in time, tapping on Jeno’s shoulder, making him turn around. Jeno’s beauty would never fail to surprise Jaemin, but his heart would never be able to fail him either.

“The library.. same time?” Jaemin asks him, trying not to seem too overbearing. 

“Sounds like a plan”  
__________________________________

And that’s how they spend their last few weeks of school before summer break. Jaemin meets up with Jeno once or twice a week to study or just talk about trivial subjects as they bask in each other’s presence, occasionally going out for a coffee or two before going home for the day, neither of them getting off the other’s mind. 

It felt nice to Jaemin. It was the only thing he could really look forward to in his mundane town with a population of approximately 200 people. Something that was new to him became a part of his weekly routine, except he would never get tired of it. He picked up on Jeno’s little habits, like how he raised his pinky when drinking something or the way his eyes completely disappeared when he smiled at Jaemin.

Jaemin made a new friend, except this time it didn’t feel like a regular friendship. 

_________________________________

Before he knows it, Jaemin wakes up to that sticky summer feeling, with the warm air that does nothing but welcome him into his three months of freedom. The sun shines through his window and onto his bed, making him squint to adjust his eyes to the extreme heat and brightness the sun carries along with it. He picks up his phone to see one unopened text message from ‘Satan's spawn’, also known as the one and only Donghyuck.

“Come to my humble abode in 10 minutes or I shall banish you to the deepest pits of hell1!1!” the message reads, and Jaemin chuckles at how that singular text encapsulates the entirety of Hyuck’s personality. He gets ready and runs down the stairs to see his mum making breakfast in the kitchen. 

“Mum, you’re back!” he exclaims with his brightest smile. “How was the trip?” he continues. “It was lovely honey, your dad and I saw the most beautiful sights that the city had to offer. Well, that’s what we could’ve seen if he wasn’t so occupied with his work.” she responds, looking down with a disappointed look. 

“I’ll go with you next time, and then we can see all the things you want to see, I promise,” Jaemin tells her with a mouth full of cereal. “But for now, I gotta get down to Hyuck’s house, so I’ll see you later!” he says to her before opening the door and getting onto his bike, cycling down the street to Hyuck's house, with the warm summer breeze dancing playfully in his hair and the sound of the wheels hitting the road giving an unexpected comfort to his ears. Oh how he missed the feeling of summer. 

_________________________________

Jaemin bursts through the door for added dramatic flair, and he is met with the screams of his oh so lovely friends and a chorus of complaints on how he hasn’t seen them in so long. Making his way through Hyuck’s house and joining them on the couch, Jaemin realises how much he missed hanging out with them.

“So, how did it feel to ditch your amazing friends in order to spend time with your new lover?” Renjun asks, making Jaemin’s cheeks flare red in embarrassment. “He’s not my lover, we’re just friends, that’s all,” Jaemin responds, instantly met with a “Yeah sure, that’s TOTALLY it,” from Chenle. Donghyuck throws a pillow at Chenle’s face and tells him to shut up. “You’re one to talk, Chenle. Or should I say, Loverboy?” he asks him, making Jaemin curious about what he meant.

“Our beautiful Chenle here has found himself a lover,” Renjun answers. Chenle responds with, “He doesn’t love me, Jisung and I are just friends.” 

“You two are practically the same I swear to god,” Renjun says, shaking his head at both of them in disappointment. 

They spend the rest of the afternoon drilling Jaemin and Chenle about their new acquaintances. 

_________________________________

Just as Jaemin gets ready to leave, Renjun slings his arm over his shoulder and opens the door for him. “When are you going to see him again?” he asks Jaemin, and he shrugs in response. “Listen boy, if you’re going to have your chance at this guy, you gotta do this right. I’ve taken interest in this blooming romance, and I don’t want to see you turn it into an enormous screw-up. I care for you Jaemin, and I want to know if you’re really ready to do all of this because I don’t want this to hurt you in the end. So are you really going to?” Jaemin nods. 

“He makes me feel home, Renjun. I never feel like running away when I’m with him,” he responds. “Damn, you really got the feels huh,” Renjun says as he gets onto his bike. “Invite him over for dinner and tell me all the juicy details after!” he shouts as he rides off into the sunset.

Jaemin sighs.

_________________________________

He does end up texting Jeno, however. And of course, it’s an immediate yes from him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> yay it's a lot longer this time (•‿•) the next update may take longer so I apologise in advance :/


	5. starry skies and beautiful lies.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> enjoy!!

Jaemin can’t tell if it’s the summer heat or the nervousness of Jeno coming over that makes the sweat stick to his forehead like glue. He runs around the house trying to make sure everything is perfect and presentable as his mother laughs at how frantic the boy looks, hurrying from one end of the house to another. “He must be really special for you to start acting like this huh? You got feelings for him?” she asks. “The only feelings I have for him is the feeling of not wanting to mess this up, so could you help me out? This flower arrangement just doesn’t sit right with me.” 

Jaemin’s mother chuckles in amusement.  
_________________________________

Jeno arrives not long after, wearing a simple white t-shirt and jeans. And yet somehow Jaemin is still every bit as mesmerised as he was when he first met him. He makes way for Jeno to enter. “Welcome to my humble abode,” he says, as Jeno takes off his shoes and enters the house while Jaemin leads him to the living room. 

Jeno sits on the couch and Jaemin plops down next to him. “You’ve got a lovely home,” Jeno compliments, fiddling with the rings on his finger, making Jaemin sigh in relief knowing that all his efforts didn’t go to waste. “Thank you, it’s my pleasure to host you,” he replies, making grand gestures with his hands. “Okay formalities aside though, my mum’s cooking dinner so we should watch something while waiting, any suggestions?” he asks Jeno.

Jaemin then suggests 50 Shades Of Grey just to mess with Jeno, making him blush bright red. Instead, they end up watching Spongebob together, flush against each other as Jaemin comments on every little humorous detail and Jeno chuckles in response.  
_________________________________

“Boys! Dinner is ready!” Jaemin’s mother shouts from the kitchen as she enters the dining room with an array of food enough to feed hundreds. “You really didn’t have to cook all this Mrs. Na,” Jeno says, earning a hearty laugh from Jaemin’s mother.

Dinner passes by quickly, with Jaemin’s mother sharing anecdotes from her highschool days and Jeno telling stories about his old school mates, while Jaemin listened using every bit of concentration he could gather, so as to not be distracted by the way the overhead light illuminated Jeno’s delicate side profile, making his jawline seem much sharper than it already was.  
_________________________________

They head out to Jaemin’s backyard after dinner. Jaemin lies down on the grass and gestures for Jeno to come over and lie there with him. “The stars are beautiful today,” Jeno tells him with excitement in his voice as his eyes glimmered in the moonlight.

_But the stars could never be compared to you._

“Yeah, they make me feel like running away,” Jaemin responds instead, making Jeno turn his head towards him. “You never struck me as the runaway type, you seemed quite rooted when I first met you,” Jeno responds, his voice almost hiding a curious tone.

_I only feel rooted when I’m around you._

“Nothing ever makes me feel like staying, you know? What’s the point of staying in one place your entire life if said place doesn’t even feel like home,” Jaemin explains to Jeno. “The world has so much to offer and yet I somehow always end up in this boring little town, doing my silly little tasks,” he continues, sighing.

Jeno chuckles. “I get what you mean, it’s the exact reason I never stay in one place for long. But for some reason, the stars always make me feel home,” he responds. “My grandma used to live in this rusty old house by the ocean, and the stars there always felt a thousand times brighter than anywhere else,” he explains as his eyes turn into crescents. “I miss her.”

“Tell me more about her,” Jaemin inquires, and Jeno nods. “When I was younger, I used to…”

The moonlight shines on Jeno’s face as he looks at the stars, his slender nose and rosy pink lips somehow seeming a thousand times more defined as he talked about how he used to play in the sand and the one time he nearly drowned in the ocean because he went too far without supervision.

Jaemin listens. He thinks about how lucky Jeno’s family must’ve been to watch him grow up, and he thinks about whether Jeno misses his parents too. He continues sharing little stories from his childhood, while being careful to not let too much information slip. Jaemin knew that Jeno was still keeping a lot from him, but he couldn’t care less.

Because at that moment, Jaemin realises what falling in love feels like.

He falls in love with the way Jeno’s pinky slowly intertwines with his. He falls in love with the way that Jeno talks about his love for the stars. He falls in love with the way Jeno’s eyes turn into crescent every time he looks at Jaemin, at the way he scrunches his nose every time he feels too warm or too cold. He falls in love with Jeno with every fibre of his body, and only then he realises that it would never be enough. 

Because Jeno deserved to be loved the same way the universe loved him, and Jaemin didn’t think that his own love was enough to get Jeno to stay. 

So he accepts his fate and he savours the moment, just them and the night sky, with no one around to tell him to stop loving Jeno the way he did.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I probably won't be uploading for one or two weeks, so my apologies in advance :/


	6. fatal feelings and dried tears.

The realisation that hit Jaemin a week earlier completely turned his life upside down, for worse.

He tried his best to distance himself from Jeno and the truth without hurting him, but it proved to be extremely hard, especially having to wake up and not text Jeno back immediately after Jeno sent his morning messages. Or not having the little library ‘dates’ they used to have where they never ended up reading books. 

Renjun immediately figured something was up when Jaemin actually went a few hours without talking about Jeno, and then forced Jaemin to spill. The boy had to sit through an hour of Renjun’s scolding through video call, followed by an hour of crying and comforting at Renjun’s house.

That one week hurt Jaemin in ways that he didn’t even know was possible, and yet he still loved Jeno. More than ever.  
_________________________________

The sunlight filters through Jaemin’s blinds onto his bedroom floor as he rubs his eyes, waking up from yet another restless night.

He checks his phone out of habit, and to his surprise, Jeno’s good morning message was nowhere to be seen. A deep sense of dread settles in his stomach.  
_He’s given up on me._

Jaemin drops back onto his bed with a sigh. What was he even expecting? Of course this would happen if all Jaemin did was respond in single worded texts or just leave him on read. Jaemin had nothing to do but drill it into his head:

_Jeno deserves more than your love._

Jaemin loses the motivation to wash his face and go downstairs, let alone respond to Renjun asking him to come over, so he climbs back into his sheets. And before he knows it, the tears are rolling off his face and landing on his pillow.  
_________________________________

Jaemin wakes up to someone knocking on his bedroom door, and he checks the time on his phone before answering.

5:03 P.M.

Jaemin had slept through half of the day, and he felt horrible, inside and out. The dried tears on his face plus the summer heat did nothing but make him feel more disgusting than he already did. “Come in,” he says, exhausted. 

Jaemin was half expecting Renjun or his mother to come in, nagging at him for being a depressive brat the entire day. What he did not expect however, was the tall figure standing at his doorway. 

“Jisung?”

“Your mum let me in, I just wanted to check on you,” Jisung responds. Jaemin and Jisung weren’t exactly close, Jaemin only knew of him from Chenle’s stories and the one time they ran into him at the mall. Still, it was nice to have someone who didn’t really know everything talk to him since Jisung wouldn’t judge him for all the stupid shit he was making himself think.

“Come sit,” Jaemin gestures to the spot next to him on the bed. “How are you doing?” Jisung asks, and Jaemin scoffs. “Considering the state I’m in, I think the answer is pretty obvious.” 

The corner of Jisung’s lips turn up into a soft smile. “You know, I used to know Jeno when we were little,” he responds, and Jaemin internally curses himself for perking up at the sound of Jeno’s name.

“He wasn’t the happiest kid, and his childhood was far from fun,” Jisung looks up at the ceiling and continues, “I met him at the beach, he was crying while hugging his knees, so of course 10 year old me had to run up to him and ask him what was wrong. He refused to answer for the first few minutes so I sat next to him until he did, and you know what he said?” 

Jaemin shakes his head.

“The stars will always love me more than anyone ever could.”

Jaemin saddens at the thought of young Jeno sitting on the beach, crying. He thinks about the way he only spoke of his grandmother when they were lying in his backyard, never his parents. He had always tried to steer away from the topic whenever Jaemin asked. 

“The thing is, I think your love for him is stronger than the stars. Scratch that, I know it is,” Jisung continues. Jaemin wonders how Jisung knows, but it’s quickly off his mind when he realises how stupid he was the entire time. 

_But it’s too late now._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry it took so long ;-;


	7. dramatic confessions and heavy rain.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: i recommend listening to Sun&Moon (NCT 127) and Come Back Home (Lauv) while reading this :))

Thunder rumbles outside Jaemin’s window as he stares up at his ceiling, contemplating the decisions he made around Jeno from the very beginning.

But Jaemin knew the answer. Every ending would be a colossal screw up no matter what, unless, god forbid, Jeno actually loved him back. Jaemin shakes his head.

_No way in hell would that happen._

His phone buzzes with a text message from..

“Jeno?” Jaemin softly exhales. Jeno had given up on him. Surely he did. So why was he asking him to go outside at 8pm? Jaemin knew this encounter would just end up in him being hurt, yet he runs down the stairs past his mother as she gives him a confused look. 

He opens the front door to see Jeno, standing outside his house. He’s wearing a black t-shirt and ripped jeans, the light from Jaemin’s porch illuminating his sullen face as Jeno turns up to look at him. Jaemin is reminded of the butterflies that Jeno gave him the first time they met.

After all, how could he ever forget?

“Jeno? What are you doing here?” Jaemin asks, hoping that the boy had only come for some trivial matter that would not hurt either of them in any way. But of course it wasn’t that. It never would’ve been.

“I missed you, Jaemin,” Jeno responds. Jaemin goes breathless. That was the last answer he was expecting from Jeno. Jaemin stumbles backwards. He didn’t know how to reply. He thought that Jeno would despise him after all he had done to get away.

_I missed you too. So much that I couldn’t breathe._

Jaemin swallows and steps down his porch towards Jeno. He gets closer and sees the tears forming in Jeno’s eyes. Jeno sniffles and steps closer to Jaemin, cupping his face with his hands. 

The silence between them becomes suffocating, until the rain starts pouring down around them. It hits the pavement at a deafeningly loud volume, a thousand times more amplified in Jaemin’s ears, as he opens his mouth to say something.

“Na Jaemin, I love you.”

Jaemin stumbles backward once again because of the words that come out of Jeno’s mouth. 

“But… why? I’m not enough,” the words spill out of his mouth along with the tears that spill from his eyes. Jeno doesn’t falter. Instead, his hands only hold onto Jaemin’s face tighter. 

“What makes you think that?” Jeno tilts his head. “You deserve more than me Jeno, much more. You know that,” Jaemin exhales. How could Jeno ever love him? He was mediocre at best. 

“Why would I ever be worthy of your love?”

Jeno chuckles. “Because I love you Jaemin. I love everything about you from head to toe. I love the way your smile makes every single person fall head over heels for you. I love the way your eyes light up when you see a puppy, or the way you are somehow friends with literally EVERYONE. And I love the fact that you don’t know how beautiful you are.”

Jeno continues, “You are the epitome of sunshine, and it’s honestly me that shouldn’t be worthy of your love.” Jaemin is grateful for the way the rain masks the tears trickling down his face. He smiles. 

Jeno inches closer to Jaemin’s face, and before he knows it, Jeno’s lips are on his. 

They don’t feel like fireworks the way books describe them. They feel like relief. The feeling of going to sleep after a long day. The feeling of knowing that everything would end up alright. It was the feeling of finding home.

So they stand there in the rain, thinking about nothing other than the feeling of each other’s warmth in the cold. They kiss each other senseless, and Jaemin realises he could’ve missed out on so much if he continued to constantly make himself think that he would never be enough. 

They part to catch their own breaths and Jaemin looks into Jeno’s eyes.

_He’s the one._

“I love you too, Lee Jeno.”


	8. horror movies and first dates.

Summer sunshine rays fill Jaemin’s room with a radiant yellow as he wakes up with the previous day’s events still on his mind. 

_Holy shit, that ACTUALLY happened._

His phone buzzes on his nightstand, and Jaemin’s face immediately lights up at the text message that pops up. Going a few days without Jeno’s good morning texts somehow made his life go downhill even more, but it felt like a relief to know that things were actually fine.

“Good morning <3, wanna maybe go somewhere today?” the text reads, and Jaemin’s heart flutters.

_Our first date. ___

__Jaemin’s phone starts ringing and he immediately accepts after seeing Jeno’s name on the screen. He brings the phone to his ear and falls back onto his bed._ _

__They spend the next half hour deciding where to go.  
__________________________________ _

__Jaemin taps his foot, anxious about which outfit to wear in order to impress Jeno. It was their first date after all, and Jaemin sure as hell wasn’t going to mess up his outfit._ _

___But we’re just going to watch a movie. But I need to impress him. But I can’t overdress. But what if I underdress?_ _ _

____Jaemin lets out a frustrated sigh and throws all of his clothing options onto his bed._ _ _ _

____He ends up wearing the most basic options, a white t-shirt and a pair of black ripped jeans.  
__________________________________ _ _ _

____Jaemin jumps off the couch the moment he hears the doorbell ring, and opens it to see Jeno standing at his doorstep, wearing a black t-shirt and blue jeans, holding a bouquet of flowers in his hands._ _ _ _

____“For your mum,” Jeno says, looking at Jaemin with his light-up-the-entire-room smile that always gave him butterflies. Jaemin smiles at Jeno and takes the bouquet, leaving it on the counter. He steps out onto the porch and closes the door behind him while Jeno extends his hand. Jaemin intertwines his fingers with Jeno’s and steps closer._ _ _ _

____“Shall we?”  
__________________________________ _ _ _

____Jaemin couldn’t focus on the movie at all. Not when Jeno was next to him. He could tell that Jeno couldn’t focus either, considering the way that he was looking at Jaemin like he was about to risk it all for him._ _ _ _

____Jaemin’s fingers reach for Jeno’s, and when they find them, they both intertwine automatically, and Jaemin loves the way it feels like their hands were made for each other._ _ _ _

____Their hands stay interlocked throughout the entire movie, and when both of them actually start focusing on the plot itself, neither of them can help but tug on the other’s sleeve and make stupid jokes about the characters or the acting. Horror movies didn’t really phase them anyways._ _ _ _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry for going IA ://


	9. theatrical reveals and chaotic introductions.

Before Jaemin knew it, summer break was over. 

He finds himself grabbing the straps of his backpack, walking through the school hallway. Jaemin sees Jeno’s lean figure walking a little further down and he speeds up to catch up to Jeno. They fall in step, Jaemin looking up at Jeno as he reaches for Jeno’s hand, the comforting warmth wrapping around Jaemin’s own. 

That is, until he hears a familiar scream getting closer and closer until it’s right behind him.

“NA JAEMIN WHAT THE FUCK.”  
_________________________________

Jaemin sits down in embarrassment with Jeno in a secluded area outside the cafeteria after being dragged down the hallway by the ears. 

“So exactly when were you going to tell me about all this???” Renjun pokes Jaemin’s shoulder, questioning him as if he just committed genocide. Jaemin lets out a soft laugh, relieved that he hadn’t done anything horrible considering the look on his best friend’s face. 

“It really hasn’t been long, I promise. I just forgot to tell you with all that’s been going on,” Jaemin replies, looking at Jeno and then back at Renjun. The latter lets out an audible gasp, falling onto the ground as if he just got shot. 

“I can’t believe you just FORGOT to tell your best friend one of the biggest advancements in your love life, how could I mean so little to you?” Renjun turns to Jeno.

“And you,” he points at him. “You are gonna meet with us this weekend at Hyuck’s house, no questions asked,” he says. 

“Sure,” Jeno smiles.  
_________________________________

“I’m nervous,” Jeno tells Jaemin as they stand outside Hyuck’s sizeable home, fidgeting with the sleeves of his jacket like he always does. 

“I’m sure they’ll love you, and if they don’t, the only other option is to beat some sense into them because after all, how could someone NOT love the one and only Lee Jeno,” Jaemin smiles and locks his index finger with Jeno’s as he leans forward to press the doorbell.

Donghyuck opens the door and gestures for them to come inside. “Welcome to the one and only place everyone seems to be able to hang out in, my very own humble abode,” he says. 

“I’m Donghyuck, but you can just call me hyuck,” he tells Jeno. Jeno reaches out to shake his hand. “It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

Chenle’s voice pierces through somewhere from the living room, “stop being so formal it’s grossing me out!” followed by what sounded like gagging. 

Jaemin laughs along with Jeno and brings him into the living room, where everyone seemed to be huddled around the coffee table, playing an intense game of Uno. They all turn to look up at Jeno and gesture for him to sit down with them, and so he does. 

“You already know me and Hyuck, that’s Chenle and Jisung and Mark was supposed to come but something came up, so it’s just us for now,” Renjun introduces everyone. 

“Pick up your cards, we just started playing,” Jisung tells him, and so a fervent game begins. 

They ask about everything while playing. From the way their relationship started, to everything Jeno liked about Jaemin (he had an extremely comprehensive list). 

The evening was accompanied with a lot of intense retching at how ‘lovey-dovey’ the two were, but Jaemin honestly didn’t realise until it was pointed out.  
_________________________________

“They’re really nice huh?” Jeno tells Jaemin as they walk down Hyuck’s porch hand in hand. 

“They’re not that nice to everyone and anyone, I think you’re just a lovable person in general,” he replies, ruffling Jeno’s hair.

“You did great today,” Jaemin says as he leans down to kiss his boyfriend’s forehead. The fact that he could call Jeno his boyfriend still felt bizarre to him. He never thought he would actually be able to, but he had always dreamt of the day he could. Jeno presses a kiss to Jaemin’s palm in return, and they continue going down the steps. 

“We can still see you, you know!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thank you for 200+ hits! :))


	10. in your arms.

Jaemin ends up in the same backyard, at the same time, with the same person all over again. 

Except this time, instead of them barely touching and looking at the stars, Jaemin’s head lays on Jeno’s stomach, his boyfriend playing with his hair, with neither of them taking their eyes off the other. 

“What happens when we graduate?” Jeno asks, the question catching Jaemin by surprise. 

“We get out of here, together. You’re not getting rid of me, loverboy,” Jaemin chuckles. “I don’t have any plans on staying here though, but I don’t want to go too far just yet.”

“I always wanted to get out of here and see the world, but I never want to do it unless it’s with you,” he continues. 

“Let’s move to the city first then, we can both go to university and rent out a little apartment or something,” Jeno says, and Jaemin gets up and looks at Jeno. 

“I would love to.”  
_________________________________

And so they do.

Jaemin wakes up and rolls over onto his side to look at Jeno, the sunlight casting over his golden skin in his tranquil sleep. 

They fell into routine after living together for so many years. 

Jaemin usually wakes Jeno up and they cuddle for a bit before Jeno makes breakfast for the both of them. They commute to their workplaces together on the train, Jaemin getting off a stop before Jeno. Jaemin ends up getting back home earlier than the other, and he starts dinner by himself. The familiar jingle of Jeno’s keys always ring in Jaemin’s ears, most of the time Jeno comes up behind Jaemin and hugs him while he’s cooking, and sometimes they slow dance in the kitchen to the radio (although in one instance a kitchen towel caught on fire and they ended up being much more cautious about dancing with food still on the stove). 

Jeno grumbles, “I can literally feel you staring with my eyes closed.” His eyelids flutter open and he turns to look back at Jaemin with a smile. 

“It’s not my fault that your face is so pleasing to the eye,” Jaemin responds, and Jeno playfully pushes him with a smile.

Jaemin’s reaches for Jeno’s hand, fiddling with the wedding band that sat on Jeno’s ring finger.

“I like living with you,” he says.

“All of a sudden?”

“I feel like the luckiest man on earth to be here, right now.”

Jeno pushes Jaemin’s hair behind his ear and shifts closer to him. 

“Do you still feel like running away?” Jeno asks.

Truth be told, Jaemin and Jeno did find that sparkle. They travelled half the world in their early 20s, and Jaemin absolutely loved every second of it. To see all the sights and the cultures and the foods. But honestly, watching Jeno’s eyes light up at every destination was the best part. Because everything came back to Jeno, it always did. 

Jaemin grew tired of it eventually, so they decided to settle back down in the city, in their small apartment with a killer view of the sunrise. Jaemin found comfort with falling into routine, a relieving sense of reassurance that he had somewhere to go back to. 

It wasn’t always easy for them. They had fought over and over again, sometimes to the point where they considered giving it up and ending it all. There were countless nights of crying and being apart, but everything always sorted itself out, because Jaemin could never in a million years imagine a life without the boy that he had fallen in love with. 

Jaemin shakes his head in response to Jeno’s question and presses a soft kiss to his lips.

“Because in your arms, I’m home.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And that is the end of In Your Arms! Thank you so much for coming on this journey with me, and I hope you enjoyed it :)


End file.
